Foot-operated throttle-control apparatus



A. P. BALL'ERINO. FOOT OPERATED THROTTLE CONTROL APPARATUS.

APPL'l/TTIQN FILED JULY 1, 1919.

1,335,314. Paten ted Mar.30,1920- INVENTOR A TTORNEY iU'hlQfl s'raxrns earn-nit? onrm ALFONSO BALLERINQ, 0F HQLLYWOOD, CALIFGRJFSIA, AESXGITQI. 0F GNE-HALF TO I MALCOLM C. NASON, 0F HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

FQOT-OPERATED THRGT'ELE-CONTROL APPARATUS.

ssasie.

Application filed July 7, 1919. serial No. 308,159.

provided with a foot-operated throttle by the manufacturers of said automobiles.

An object of the invention is to produce a device of this character which is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is to so construct the apparatus that it may be readily installed by the operator of-the car Without the need oi 1 the services ot-an experienced mechanic.

Another object to so construct the apparatus that it will work entirely indcpendent of the hand-operated throttle control mechanism so that both hand and foot op" eration can be effected independently of each other.

Other ()lIJCCtS and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention Figure 1 a plan view of the invention installed in an automobile which is fragmcnt'aril y. shown. I

Fig. 2 is an. enlarged plan view of the invention, the throttle arm and connecting rod ol the hand-control mechanism being fragmcntarily shown.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of Fig. 2. A

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on line ndicated by wa;' Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an ei'ilarged detail partlyiin section on line indicated by. B -i17 Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a plan dot-til partly in section on line indicated by m-.r;, Fig. 5.

Fi 7 is a perspective view of the slotted mem or which is connected with the throttle arm.

An automobile is' fragmentarily indicated at a in Fig. 1, the motor being indicatedat The engine I) is furnished with explosive charges by a carburetor indicated at 1:, said 7 carburetor having a throttle arm (Z whereby the degree of suction on the wirbureter is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Man-3Q, 1920'.

regulated in a manner well understood-in the art pertaining to carburetors.

The outer end of the throttle arm .51 is provided with a bolt 1 having a nut The bolt 1 passes through a flange 3 of a slotted member d, the slot being indicated at 5 and said slot being curved as clearly shown in Fig. 7. la the instance shown in the drawings the slotted member a, exclusive of the flange 3,

is of rectangular construction in cross sec-.

tion and the flange 3 projects laterally from near the bottom edge of the side 6 of said men'iber. The slot 5 is positioned in the top 7 of the member l. The bolt. 1 passes through a hole 8 in the flange Between the flange 3 and the headof the bolt 1 is a spring" lock washer I) and also between the arm (I and nut is a spring lock washer 10. The slot 5 is adapted to receive the down wardly bent end a of a connect-hr; rod l which Forms aportion of the hand throttlecontrol mechanism indicated in general by the character 9. The downwardly bent end (2 is provided beneath the top 7 with a pin 11 to prevent the connecting rod from becoming disengaged from the mom" or -l.

The flange 3 is provided with another hole 12 to receive the downwardly bent end 13 of a push rod 14- which is provided with a horizontally bent end 15 that has a reduced portion 16 forming 'a' "pivot extending through a hole or slot 17 jn one end of one of the members 18 of a foot-operated lover. The tootopcrated lever coniprises,besides the member 18, a second member 19 bent at right angles in plan from the member 18.

the member 18 in elevation. The free end of the member 19 terminates in a flange 20 adapted for engagement by the operators s cc.

The lever 18, 19 is pivotally mounted on the engine 72 by a bracket 21, which, if desired. may be formed of sheet metal. The bracket -21 comprises a more or less lit-shaped. member 22 and a flange 23 extending at right angles to the u shaped member 22. The U-shaped member 22 is provided with holes 2 k, 25 to receive the lever member 18 which thus journals or pivots saidllever.

' The outer end of the flange 23 is provided i with a. hole 26 to receive a bolt 27 which is screwdanreaded into the cylinder head It of the engine. The bolt 27 may he one of the '90 T he member 19-is also bent at an anglefrom head in place.

Thefiange 3 is provided with another hole 28 in which is fastened one end of a coil spring 29 that is connected at its other end by a connection member 30 to the chassis is of the automobile.

The outer end of the bent portion of the rod 11 forms an elongated head 31 which can he slipped in and out of the slot 17 when the head 31 is turned to aline lengthwise with the slot 17. After the parts are. assembled as in the drawings, the head 31 is positioned crosswise of the longitudinal axis of the slot 17 so that the rods 14, 18 will not become accidentally separated.

In practice, the invention operates as follows: It the operator desires to use the hand-operated throttle mechanism he may do so, thus causing shifting of the connecting rod f. \Vhen he wishes to open the throttle valve wider the rod 7' will be shifted in the direction of the arrow m, Fig. 2, so as to move the member 4 against the pull of the spring 29, thus moving the throttle arm (,Z. \Vhen he causes the rod 7 to be shifted in the opposite direction the spring 29 will retract the member 4. and thus cause retraction of the throttle arm '(Z.

Vhen the operator desired to open the throttle valve wider by use of his foot, he will depress the flange 20 thus pushing the rod 14 toward the right in Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrow n, causing the throttlearm (Z to be moved in the same direction as when the rod f is shifted in the direction of the arrow at as above described. However, this shifting of the rod lt'will not move the rod since the'slot 5, will allow the member 1 to move without any effect on'the rod When the operator desires to reduce the opening of the throttle valve he releases the pressure of his foot on the flange 20 and thereupon the spring retracts the member 4 to cause retraction of the throttle arm (I.

The invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown in the drawings and .lescribed above but includes such changes and modifications as may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

The combination with a throttle arm, of a member rectangular in crosssection provided near the bottom edge of one side thereof with a laterally projecting flange, the top of said member having a slot to receive one end of a connecting rod of a hand control throttle mechanism, there being an opening between the top and the flange, a push rod pivotally connected with the flange and having a bent end provided with a head, said push rod passing through said opening, a spring fastened at one end to the flange to return the rectangular member to normal position, a "foot-operated lever having a member bent at right angles to another member of said lever in two different planes extending at rigl'it angles to each other, one of the lever members being provided with a slot to receive the bent end of the push rod, and means to fasten the flange to the throttle arm.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this th day of June 1919.

ALFONSO P. BALLERINO.

W itnesses:

Gnonon H. Hines, L, BELLE \Vnavnn. 

